1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording sheet transporting apparatus which transports a recording sheet, and an image forming apparatus which includes the recording sheet transporting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, as a recording sheet transporting apparatus, a fixing apparatus which transports a recording sheet through a heating roller which carries out thermal fixing of a developer image printed on the recording sheet and a pressurizing roller that is pressed to contact with the heating roller has hitherto been known. As such fixing apparatus, a fixing apparatus, in which the pressurizing roller is coupled with a motor via a universal joint so as to transmit a driving force to the pressurizing roller which moves back and forth in a radial direction of the heating roller, has been known (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-161317).
Concretely, in this technology, by providing an intermediate shaft between a shaft of the heating roller and a drive shaft to which the driving force is transmitted by the motor, and by providing universal joints between both ends of the intermediate shaft and the shafts, respectively, the driving force from the motor is transmitted to the pressurizing roller even when the shaft of the pressurizing roller has shifted from the pressurizing roller of the drive shaft.
However, in the abovementioned technology, as the intermediate shaft is provided between the shaft of the pressurizing roller and the drive shaft, and since two universal joints are necessary, a size of the apparatus becomes large in an axial direction.